Common cold: 5 food items that can worsen your cold and cough

Are you witnessing blocked or running nose, itchy throat and continuous sneezing, then you may be suffering from the common cold. The same is an upper respiratory infection caused due to viruses. There are more than 200 viruses which can lead to the same, however, Rhinovirus is one of the common causes of it. The health issue is communicable in nature and that's why one can easily get it from the people. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and lowering stress levels are some of the best ways to prevent cold.

To alleviate the signs of the common cold one should ideally stay hydrated, get proper sleep for 10-12 hours and do gargling with saline water among others. Today we are talking about certain food items that may worsen your cold and cough. As per a report in Firstpost, we have rounded up 5 foodstuffs which one should avoid if they are suffering from the common cold.

1. Sugar
As per the report, the first and foremost food items was of sugar. It is one of the offenders for the common cold. As per a 2017 study which was published in Frontiers in Immunology too much intake of sugar could suppress the immune system, especially when your body is fighting viral infections. So, try and avoid sugary stuff or desserts even if you are craving for it.

2. Coffee, tea and other caffeinated drinks
Yes, yes, this may come across as surprising as most of us love having a hot cuppa especially when we are down with a cold. However, as per the same report, the same is not good. Coffee, tea and caffeinated drinks act as diuretics that means their intake leads to an increase in the expelling of water and salt from your body. And during cold our body needs more fluids to stay hydrated/

3. Alcohol
A tipple of rum with honey and water would only soothe your congested chest, right? Wrong! Alcohol consumption, according to a study in the journal Alcohol in 2007, is linked to an increase in lung and bronchial inflammation. Alcohol also suppresses the white blood cells in your blood, which you need to fight the cold. What’s more, alcohol dehydrates you, and what you need most when you have a cold is increased intake of fluids.

4. Milk
Milk, which is one of the commonly consumed dairy products, provides several health benefits. As per the same report, milk apparently makes the mucus thicker and makes it more difficult to get rid of phlegm. 

5. Spicy food items 
Some studies have claimed that spicy foods can help to think out the mucus thus making it easier to expel it. The capsaicin in chilies apparently helps to manage inflammation as well. However, another study which was published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition in 2016 stated that capsaicin also stimulates the production of more phlegm. So, apparently spicy food makes things worse in the long run.